By Eduardo Sanchez
Nicolás Maduro was a close political ally of former Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez. As Chávez gradually became retracted from the presidency due to a long battle with cancer, vice president Maduro progressively took over most of the president’s duties. His loyalty and similar political views made him the natural successor when Chávez’s deteriorated health was more than obvious.
Maduro was born on November 23, 1962 in Caracas, the Venezuelan capital. His father was a union leader with Jewish ancestry. His Jewish ancestry has been called out due to his alleged anti-Semitic views, which he vehemently denied by highlighting his lineage. However, he was raised a Catholic in the context of a religious Latin American culture. During his childhood he was known for defending the Cuban revolution and questioning the Venezuelan regime, which led to punishments by school authorities. Nonetheless, he also became involved with leftist movements and interested in Marxist teachings under the lens of his regional and political reality.
After graduating from high school, Maduro became a bus driver that later on would inspire him to become a union leader himself for the bus drivers in Caracas. This situation placed him on an incipient path towards politics although not deeply involved (at least for the first years) in the broader political context of Venezuela. Maduro met incarcerated Hugo Chávez during a trip organized for sympathizers. It is said that Chávez gave him specific tasks to contribute to his political cause for which would be rewarded in the future.
Maduro joined the “Fifth Republic Movement” political party that was behind the political advancement of Hugo Chávez to power. His membership to the prominent Bolivarian socialist party launched his political career towards attaining a position in the National Assembly. Later on he would become foreign minister and vice president under Chávez, strengthening the personal and political bond between them.
While Chávez was undergoing medical treatment in Cuba, Maduro would shuttle back and forth from the island to update the Venezuelan leader about the happenings of the country as well as bring back the almost messianic message of Chávez to his people. Maduro would present himself to the people letting them know what he had been instructed to do in the name of the leader and asking for loyalty to the cause.
On Chávez’s deathbed, Maduro was proclaimed the interim president of Venezuela, being fully trusted that he would carry on the revolutionary project and continue his legacy. Maduro has continued to utilize Chávez’s messages and speeches as a source of his current position of power, reminding the Venezuelan people that he acts on behalf of the late leader.
It is unclear the degree to which Maduro’s own personal and political views have imprinted the policies and actions bestowed in the name of his predecessor. Maduro’s interest in Marxism and the possible adaptations to Venezuela have most likely had a bearing on the matter. His constant evoking of Chávez’s memory can be well serving his own interests while reducing the questions and challenges from a broader base. His legitimacy continues to be questioned which has prompted him to adopt more authoritarian measures that can resemble those of Chávez while in power. The justification invariably rests on the greater socialist and revolutionary path and he is careful to attach the names of Chávez and Bolívar in this endeavor.